Key West
by T-man626
Summary: Ashley Magnus is alive, but has no memory of who she is. She arrives in Key West and finds The Place. Can the gang help her get home? Alternating POVs. Rating changed due to mild language.
1. Prologue: Ashley & Jake

Key West

**Ashley:**

I turned into the darkness. It hurt, more than it should have. I felt like I'd been electrocuted. My next thought was wonder: Wonder at the fact that I knew what it felt like to be electrocuted, wonder at how dark it was.

Then I landed. And suddenly, I couldn't remember where I had come from, where I'd been going, or what I'd been doing. All I could remember was my name: Ashley.

I couldn't remember whether or not I had a last name. In fact, the only other thing that I could remember was a face: blue eyes, widened in horror and sadness, a mouth that formed an "O" of shock, all framed by shoulder-length black hair.

Shaking my head to clear it, I started down the street. It seemed ordinary enough: t-shirt shops, a couple of bars, a bookstore, restaurants, and other who-knew-what types of establishments. The smells were heavenly: a mix of delicious food, the flowers on the trees, and an underlying hint of…salt water?

I finally spotted a street sign that said "Duval Street". Unfortunately, it didn't answer the question of where I might be. So I just stuck with wandering. Eventually, I turned off the main road and onto a residential side street, lined with wood frame houses with big porches and some of the most gorgeous plants I'd ever seen, including palm trees and bushes with huge red flowers.

I'd been walking for a while when the bushes next to me transitioned into a picket fence tall enough that I couldn't see over it, lined with coconut palms. Soon enough, I came to a huge wooden gate. It had once been one solid piece, but had at some point in the past been split down the middle and only half-decently repaired, leaving a noticeable crack down the center. Next to it hung a sign simply stating "The Place". I could hear voices, so I pushed the gate opened and walked into one of the funniest looking bars I'd ever seen.

Honestly, my first thought was _how the hell do I know what bars looked like?_ But my eyes were busy taking in every detail as I walked into the enclosure: five cottages around the edge of the compound, which was enclosed on all sides except for the parking area off to the left. The U-shaped bar in the center stood under a thatched roof and next to a pool, and was connected by a concrete walkway to another, smaller set-up under a tin roof: a brick fireplace and an upright piano. Said piano was currently being played by a madman in a bowler hat; good jazz, too. Sprinkled around the compound were palm trees that provided shade to the numerous lawn chairs, about half of which were occupied.

By this point, I'd reached the bar. The bartender, a skinny guy with long brown hair going grey, a beard the same color, and glasses, was talking with another customer, so I spent a few minutes eyeing a machine that looked like a toaster on steroids.

"Can I get you something?" a voice interrupted my musings.

* * * * *

**Jake:**

I'd noticed her the instant she opened the gate. The Place is close to Duval Street, but far enough away that we don't get too much new business. While the gang and I don't mind new trade, we do like to make sure they're our kind of people, so the set up works well.

She had shoulder-length blonde hair pulled back in a ponytail, and wore a black jumpsuit of some kind. As she approached the bar, I could tell that she was evaluating everything about the Place and everyone in it. I could also tell that Long-Drink, the person I was currently talking to, was aware of her as well. But as one of my oldest customers, Drink didn't need to be told what to do: he simply continued talking to me as the young lady approached the bar and left only after she'd been sitting for a couple of minutes.

Finally, I approached her. "Can I get you something?" I asked.

She started and turned a pair of ice-blue eyes on me. "Uh, yeah," she responded, blinking. "Could I get a beer?"

"Certainly," I responded. It was the work of a moment to get her the requested drink. "Here you go," I told her, setting the glass down in front of her. "Four bucks."

"Um…" The deer-in-the-headlights look said it all.

"Don't worry about it," I told her. The grateful look on her face was payment enough. "I'm Jake, by the way."

She had picked up the glass and taken a gulp. "Ashley," she said as she lowered it to the bar.

She didn't offer a last name, and I didn't ask. "If you don't mind my asking, what are you doing here in Key West?"

"I don't…" she trailed off as the sound of a throat clearing caught her attention. She turned in the high chair (I don't use bar stools) towards the fireplace. I also looked in that direction, and discovered Long-Drink standing at the edge of the fireplace enclosure.

"To Doc!" the Drink said, raising his glass. He was echoed on all sides as he drank, and once the glass was empty he threw it into the fireplace with the accuracy of a big-league pitcher. The ensuing barrage of glass almost overwhelmed the parabolic design of the fireplace, but my customers have been doing this for long enough that they know how to do so safely.

When the barrage finally died down, Ashley turned back to me. "What was that all about?"

"House custom. If you want to, you can make a toast and smash your empty in the fireplace. Costs you your two bucks change, but it can feel pretty good." I moved away to serve another of my regulars before the implication that maybe she should try it could even begin to hang in the air.

"Who was his toast to?" she asked when I was back at that end of the bar a few minutes later.

My smile was tinged with sadness, but behind it were many happy memories. "Our good friend Doc Webster passed away seven years ago today. People have been making toasts and telling stories all evening."

She nodded in contemplation. "Interesting customs you guys have. Any other rules that I should know about?"

"Just that no one here will ask you a snoopy question. If they do, they're blackjacked by the piano man and dumped out on to the street."

Her eyebrows almost disappeared into her hair. "How do you define 'snoopy'?"

"We don't; the person being asked does. That's why I started my earlier question with 'If you don't mind my asking'. If you'd minded, you would have told me so, and I wouldn't have pressed the issue."

"Huh." To cover her surprise, she took a sip of beer. "Thanks for the info."

"No problem," I told her. I could tell that she was done talking for the time being, and so moved away to tend to my other customers. Over the next several hours, I occasionally caught sight of her: she stayed by herself at the bar for awhile, but later got drawn into conversation with Mei-Ling and my daughter, Erin, when they came over to say hi.

Eventually, it was closing time. Most of my customers helped out by cleaning up the areas where they had been sitting, and Long-Drink swept out the fireplace. Erin and Mei-Ling had Ashley help them clean the tables around the pool, and I took care of wiping the bar and setting The Machine to clean itself. With all of those hands, closing only took about fifteen minutes, so it wasn't very long before my friends were drifting away through the gate, calling good-nights as they went. Those that lived in the compound (Mei-Ling, Tom Hauptman, the Duck, Long-Drink, Tommy, and Fast Eddie) also called good-night and headed for their respective cottages, leaving Ashley, Erin, and myself at the bar.

"Well Ashley," I said, "it was a pleasure to meet you. Hopefully we'll see you again sometime."

"Pop," Erin spoke up, "I told Ashley that she could stay in our guest room."

I raised my eyebrows at my now-twenty-year-old. "Really?"

"Sorry, Jake," Ashley jumped in.

Or tried to. I held up a hand and continued looking at my daughter. "Why?"

Erin traded a look with Ashley, and it was the latter who spoke up. "I don't have any place to go."

"No friends? No family?"

"I don't remember. My memory only goes as far back as walking down Duval Street, then turning onto a side street and finding my way here."

Over the years, I've developed a pretty good sense of when someone is pulling my leg. She wasn't. I thought about it for a moment, but in the end decided that my wife wouldn't mind and that Erin had good judgment. "I can't say no to a story like that. Erin, go ahead and help Ashley get settled. I'll be along in a minute."

Erin smiled at me and led Ashley towards our cottage. I watched them go and pulled out a book. I'd stay at the bar until Zoey got in from rehearsal, and tomorrow we'd try to figure out how to help Ashley. After all, that's what we do here at The Place.

* * *

**Author's Note:** Okay, I know that many (if not all) of you are unfamiliar with the Callahan series by Spider Robinson. While I'll include more details in later chapters, here's a quick rundown of the series:  
From 1948 to 1986, Michael Callahan owned and operated Callahan's Place off Route 25A on Long Island. House rules at the Place were as follows: Every drink in the house cost a buck. Callahan dealt only in singles. If you returned your glass, you were entitled to fifty cents in change from the cigar box at the end of the bar. Or you could step up to the chalk line, make a toast (this is mandatory), and deep six your glass into the fireplace. If you decided that you wanted to talk about it, you had the immediate and undivided attention of everyone in the Place. Often, they'd have a solution for whatever problem was troubling you. (Not every toast was serious; oftentimes a toast was so funny that a barrage of laughter and glass would result.) Should you choose not to talk about it, no one would bother you; anyone asking a snoopy question was promptly blackjacked by Fast Eddie the piano man and dumped in the alley. Other house traditions included Fireside Fill-More night, Punday night, Tall-Tales night, and Riddle night. Callahan's regulars included the reigning Punday night champ Dr. Sam "Doc" Webster; Long-Drink McGonnigle; the 7-foot alien cyborg Mickey Finn; the narrator of these stories and great guitar player Jake Stonebender; Ralph von Wau Wau, the talking German shepherd; Fast Eddie Costigan the piano man; several other aliens; assorted time travelers; and, most important for this crossover, Nikola Tesla.  
In 1986, Callahan's Place was destroyed by a nuke in order to save the world from annihilation (good trade, no?). Two years later, Jake opened Mary's Place, carrying on many of the traditions and customs of Callahan's. After one year, Mary's was closed due to improper paperwork. Roughly a year and a half after that, Jake & Co. moved down to Key West, opened The Place, and saved the universe.

This story opens roughly seven years after the last (as of now) novel in the series, "Callahan's Con". I've done my best to match the timelines, but Spider is a little inconsistent with dates in the books. Anyway, please drop me a line and tell me what you think. Thanks for reading!


	2. Nikola

**Nikola:**

I had almost made it to the front door when I heard footsteps behind me.

"Leaving so soon?" Helen's voice made me pause as I reached for the handle.

"Nikola?" she asked when I didn't respond.

I fought the urge to sigh as I turned and faced her. "Why shouldn't I?" I asked, fighting to keep my voice level and quiet. It was after midnight, after all. "I've come up with a cure for the Lazarus virus. You're going to be busy for weeks getting your new residents settled, and I'm not the right type to help with that." I stepped closer to her. "I have no reason to stay."

Okay, that wasn't true. I would have gladly stayed if only to see her every day. I've said it before: she is a gorgeous woman. I will freely admit to myself that I have nursed something of a crush on her for the better part of the last century. Of course, I would never admit that to anyone else.

"So where will you go?" she asked. She didn't mention the fact that Ashley's memorial was in two days; didn't try to guilt me into staying.

I knew what she was thinking: John Druitt, also known as Jack the Ripper, also known as Ashley's father, had already left on a self-designed crusade of vengeance against the Cabal that had destroyed his daughter. In a show of how upset he was, he'd asked if I would help.

"I don't know," I told her. A part of me wanted to join John in his hunt. But another part of me understood that no matter what I did, Ashley would still be gone, and Helen would still be hurting.

She nodded, silently acknowledging what I wasn't saying. "Good-bye, Nikola," she said.

"Good-bye Helen," I told her as she turned her back on me and walked away. Sighing, I turned, opened the door, and exited into the brisk spring air. As I walked to the front gate, I looked anew at the Sanctuary: everything that Helen had dedicated her life too was in this place and others like it. And yet, now a huge part of her was gone, and I was powerless to do anything about it. I _was_ contemplating helping John bring down what was left of the Cabal, but by the time I reached the gate and opened it, I decided on a different course of action.

Carefully closing the gate behind me, I looked around to make sure that none of Helen's residents or colleagues was nearby, and Translated.

Translation is different from the teleportation of John in that it not only moves a person through space, but also through time. In this case, I not only covered almost 2,000 miles in less than a second, but I also moved forward in time about one week and 10 hours.

Ten o' clock in the morning may sound like an odd time for a bar to be open, but it's not that unusual for The Place. And I wasn't disappointed: several people were occupying lounge chairs by the pool, and others were scattered around at the various tables and conversation areas. Fast Eddie was already at the piano, warming up with a series of scales and arpeggios. Over at the bar, I could see Jake serving up Irish coffees to an assortment of regulars. I knew that he had spotted me, for he nodded in my direction. I returned the nod as I walked towards the enclosure.

"Nikky!" he greeted me as I approached. "Long time no see!"

Helen would have been surprised to see the smile on my face. I had never let her, John, James, or Nigel refer to me by any sort of (pardon the pun) nickname. Yet, for some reason I can't explain, I never minded that the residents and customers of The Place did.

"Too long, Jacob," I greeted him. Maybe that's why I never minded him using a shortened form of my name; I use _his_ full name. "How have you been?"

"Can't complain," he said. "What's it been, seventeen years?"

"Something like that," I responded, reaching the bar at last. Give Jake credit: the man had a glass of wine ready and waiting for me. Nodding my thanks, I placed five singles on the bar and took a sip. "Thank you, Jacob," I sighed.

Now that I think about it, Helen would have been surprised to discover that I had friends other than the rest of the Five. I had never told her about my relationship with the denizens of the Place, its predecessors Callahan's and Mary's, or Lady Sally's House, just as I had never told my friends at these places of my background.

Okay, Jake and his customers know pretty much the same story as anyone who bothers to do even a tiny amount of research: I am the inventor of most of the technology that made the 20th century what it was. As far as Jake and the others know, I also was "immortalized" by Lady Sally McGee to give the human race a second shot at appreciating me. Only the Lady and her husband Michael Callahan know the whole truth: that while spending a term at Oxford in the 1870s I was injected with vampire blood which interacted with my genes and brought forth the physical and mental aspects of my ancestors. I don't age, at least not like a "normal" human, and I can now run faster, jump higher, and lift more than any man alive. I can handle large amounts of electricity running through my body, and I also have a tendency to sprout fangs and talons when I get pissed off.

The Lady and Michael gave me the "immortalization" story to tell Jake and Co. They also taught me how to both Translate (travel through space and time) and Transit (travel through space alone; not dissimilar to the teleportation that John uses). At my request, they have kept their knowledge of my powers from the others.

It's not that I don't trust them, or Helen and the others at the Sanctuary. It's just nice to have an "out" from both places. I suppose that, eventually, I might tell both parties about the other's existence. But not unless it becomes absolutely necessary.

"So what brings you down to the Keys, Nik?" Jake asked, interrupting my train of thought.

"Just had some free time, my friend, and thought that I would stop by. It truly has been too long since I last saw you and your family."

"Uncle Nikky!" I set the wine glass down and turned around just in time to catch Erin as she came flying down the walk towards me. Helen would definitely have been shocked by that; I had never hugged Ashley. But I had known Erin for all of her life. I had been present on the night of her birth (had, in fact, been in telepathic rapport with her as she was born), and had assisted her parents in dealing with raising a smarter-than-average child. I genuinely loved Erin.

Therefore, I happily returned her hug. "How have you been, Erin?" I thought for a moment. "You're in college now, right?"

"Just graduated." She pulled away and grinned. "I'm enrolling in grad school at the end of the summer."

I smiled back at her and resumed my seat at the bar. "Well done, my dear, well done. What is your degree in?"


	3. Erin

**Erin:**

In the two weeks since Ashley had come to live with us, a routine had developed. She and I were up first in the mornings, so we would make breakfast for my folks and start opening The Place. By the time we had most of the chores done, Dad would have arrived behind the bar, and we were ready to open.

Our days were spent helping at the bar, exploring Key West, and using the house computer to see if we could find any information on whom Ashley was. Normal methods, like searching for news stories on missing people, had yielded nothing, but that wouldn't stop even a third-rate hacker, let alone me. I had already searched police records in Florida, and had begun to search police records within the South; if necessary, I would widen the search to the rest of the US to help her find out what had happened.

Even with our non-existent results, Ashley was surprisingly upbeat. She'd quickly become a favorite at the bar, where she routinely skunked the Drink and Double Bill at darts, and proved a willing ear for others' problems. We'd gone on several bike rides around the island, and I'd introduced her to my friends at Mallory Square when we went to see the sunset on her first full day in Key West. She agreed that it was the best sunset she'd ever seen, even though we both knew that she wouldn't have been able to recall a better one if she'd tried.

Yet, even with how well she was settling in as part of our lives, Ashley still wanted to know where she had come from. And with each day that passed, I was getting more and more frustrated with my inability to help her. I'd tried using friends and family as a sounding board, especially Uncle Marty (he used to be a cop) and Acayib and Uncle Tommy (the best tech people around). If I knew how to get a hold of him, I would have contacted Uncle Mike, but Dad said that he hasn't answered the phone in decades. (See, Uncle Mike left a phone number with Uncle Eddie, back when everyone still lived in New York. "As far as the phone company's concerned, that number doesn't exist and never will," he told them. "I can't promise I'll hear it if it rings, and I can't promise I'll come if I do—but I will say that if I hear it, I'll do my best for you." Dad tries to phone him, periodically, but the phone just rings and rings.)

So that morning when I walked out into the bar and saw Uncle Nikky sitting there, I felt like all of my troubles had gone up in smoke.

"Uncle Nikky!" I called, flying down the path. I was unsurprised when he turned in time to catch me in a hug; fastidious though he may be, he always let me hug him.

"How have you been, Erin?" he asked as we embraced. "You're in college now, right?"

I pulled away from him, grinning. "Just graduated. I'm enrolling in grad school at the end of the summer." If I could have, I would have enrolled sooner, but Mom and Dad convinced me that taking some time off wouldn't be a bad idea.

"Well done, my dear, well done." Uncle Nikky smiled proudly. He had a right to: he tutored me through much of the first three or four years of my life. "What is your degree in?"

"Degrees, plural," I told him, taking a seat on the tall chair next to him. "Biology and computer science."

"Very impressive. Have you thought about what you will do with these skills?"

I shrugged. "Mom wants me to look into medical school, but I don't know if it will be challenging enough. I'm looking at grad programs in research, but I really don't know where I'm going."

"Well, if you need someone to talk to, I'd be happy to lend an ear." He smiled at me as he picked up his wine glass and took a sip.

"How long are you in town for, Nik?" Dad asked.

"I don't know yet, Jacob. I only decided to visit a few moments ago."

Even though I hadn't seen him in a long time, I could still tell when Uncle Nikky wasn't telling the whole truth. There was a tone to his voice, a certain look in his eye that gave it away. Now was one of those times, but I've been around my father too long to ask a snoopy question. I pulled myself out of my thoughts and realized that Dad was talking. "…would love to offer you the guest room, but it's already occupied. Mei-Ling might be willing to let you stay with her, though."

"I will ask her if need be," Uncle Nikky assured Dad before taking another sip of wine. "May I ask who is staying with you?"

"A young lady by the name of Ashley," Dad replied. "She showed up about two weeks ago and has no memory of how she got here or who she is beyond her name."

"She's really cool, Uncle Nikky," I told him. "We've been all over the island, and she plays a mean game of darts. She's beaten Uncle Drink and Uncle Bbiillll ten times!"

"Well then, she _is _good," he replied, smiling, but I could see his mind whirring. "Would it be possible for me to meet her?"

"Of course," I responded. "In fact," I added, looking over his shoulder, "here she comes now."

What happened next shocked the heck out of me. Uncle Nikky carefully set down the wineglass and turned to face the path from the house. As soon as Ashley saw him, she disappeared in a burst of red light and reappeared by his side almost instantaneously, her fingers around his throat.

* * *

**Author's Note: **Sorry for the delay in posting; life's been a little hectic. Some notes on this chapter: the speech about the telephone number that Mike left with Eddie is taken word-for-word from _Callahan's Legacy_. No copyright infringement is intended; I just couldn't think of a better way to say what was said. Also, the names Double Bill and Uncle Bbiillll refer to the same person, a Key West native with the legal name of William Williams. Erin started refering to him as Bbiillll when she was three or so, she's the only one who can pronounce his name like that, and I have no idea how it would sound!


	4. Zoey

**Author's Note: **Thanks to all who have read thus far. I promise the Sanctuary gang will make an appearance soon!

* * *

Zoey:

My rehearsal the previous night had been cancelled, so I'd spent the night enjoying the company of friends and family at the Place. Jake, Eddie, and I played a couple of sets, and I got to watch Erin and Ashley as they played darts with several other regulars, including Long-Drink and the Lucky Duck. I hadn't been too surprised when I'd gotten home that night two weeks ago and Jake had informed me of our guest; after over two decades of marriage I know how serious my husband and his friends take their lessons in empathy and humanity. So I smiled, greeted the young woman the following morning, and got used to basically having three kids in the house (yes, I'm counting Jake here).

I wasn't around as much as I would have liked (as a decent bass-player, and a good-looking one at that, I almost have more work than I can handle), but I could tell that Ashley fit in well with our family: She was a good listener, had a ready smile, and never minded chipping in and helping out. I knew that she was becoming frustrated by the lack of results from her and Erin's searching, but she did her best to not take it out on us.

That morning, I had told the girls that I would help with opening so that they could sleep in for once. Once the appropriate chores had been taken care of, I stretched out on one of the lounge chairs by the pool with an Irish coffee at my elbow and a good book in my hand and settled in to enjoy my day.

I had chosen a chair that let me look over the top of my book every so often and see what was going on around the Place, so I noticed when Nikky walked in. He and Jake seemed perfectly content catching up, however, so I stayed where I was. I looked up again when I heard Erin's "Uncle Nikky!" and watched him catch her for a hug. I watched them for a moment before turning back to my book, wholly expecting Jake to call me over or to bring Nikky over to me.

I didn't expect to hear my daughter cry out, or my husband's startled "Holy shit!"

Startled, I dropped my book and looked up to see Ashley, who most certainly hadn't been there a few moments before, with her hands around Nikky's throat. I was out of my chair and halfway around the pool in two seconds, and I wasn't the only one. Long Drink was almost there, with Marty close behind, when our help suddenly became unnecessary.

As we watched, Nikky literally pushed Ashley halfway back to the cottage, and jumped after her. As soon as he landed, she launched an all-out attack, hitting, kicking, and…_teleporting_ all over the place. And Nikky was keeping up with her, blocking and returning blows. But that's not what caused our jaws to drop.

No, what caused our jaws to drop was the fact that Nikky had sprouted talons. And fangs.


	5. Long Drink

**Author's Note: **Thanks to all who have read and reviewed! The Sanctuary gang will be in the next chapter.

* * *

**Long Drink:**

I've been hanging around Jake for several decades now, back since he first showed up at Callahan's and spilled his guts about killing his wife and kid. As a regular at Callahan's, then Mary's, and now The Place, I've seen some pretty interesting stuff, just like Jake has. We've had time travelers, Mickey Finn, the Cockroach, Hitler, several other assorted aliens, Ralph von Wau Wau, the cluricaune, the Lucky Duck, and God only knows how many other people that would be classified as "weird" or "unnatural" by other folks. But even with all of that experience, I still say that seeing Nikola Tesla sprout claws and fangs qualifies as _really fucking weird_.

I'd been sitting at the bar, enjoying my whisky, when Nikky had arrived. Knowing that he'd greet me when he was good and ready, I'd just continued to read the morning paper. I looked up when Erin mentioned the fact that our newest regular, Ashley, was routinely beating me and Double Bill at darts, and had just turned back to the paper when I heard an odd sound. I looked up again, only to find Ashley where she hadn't been a moment before, with her hands around Nikky's throat.

Years ago, on Long Island, I'd been a night watchman. As such, I'd been trained in hand-to-hand, not to the extent of a cop, but not far from it. Old reflexes kicked in, and I was out of my tall chair and making for the confrontation in less than a heartbeat. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Marty, the ex-cop, also heading towards the commotion. I was still about a foot away, with Marty at least a yard behind, when Nikky managed to find leverage and literally pushed Ashley halfway back to the nearest cottage. Then, before I could stop him or even ask if he was okay, he leapt after her.

Then it started to get really weird. Nikky had barely landed when Ashley went crazy, launching a series of attacks that would make a ninja proud. But Ashley was doing something no ninja could: she was teleporting, leaving a haze of reddish mist in her wake, landing jabs and kicks before teleporting back out of range.

Surprisingly, Nikky managed to block most of her blows. That was when I noticed his claws: his hands came up to catch Ashley's foot, only she teleported at the last possible second, leaving him holding air. Then he snarled, and I saw his fangs. Suddenly, our old friend the mad scientist seemed absolutely insane.

As we watched, I could tell that Nikky was trying to corner Ashley. So far, he'd managed to keep her on the lawn, away from the bar area, but I knew that it was only a matter of time before something went wrong and someone or something got damaged. When cornering her didn't seem to be working, I started to hear Nikky's voice, telling Ashley to calm down, to hear him out, etc., only it didn't seem to be working.

Ashley teleported again, but this time Nikky somehow knew where she was going to. Quick as lightning, his hands reached out and pinned her arms to her sides and he tangled his right leg with hers so that she had no leverage to kick him. The young blonde wasn't giving up, though; she continued to struggle, trying to break free. So Nikky zapped her using some of that electricity he was always able to conjure at will.

Once Ashley had finally stopped twitching, Nikky carried her over to the bar and placed her gently on the ground. As he turned back to us, I could see the fangs and claws retracting, until plain old Nikola stood before us. "Jacob, my friend," he addressed the bartender, only to stop at the sight of Jake's sawn-off pointed right at his heart.

"Jake--" I started to say, but he cut me off.

"Who are you and what have you done with Nikola Tesla?" he demanded of the scientist.

Nikky closed his eyes, dropped his head, sighed, and muttered something in his native tongue. "I assure you, Jacob," he stated, raising his head, "I am Tesla. I helped you defend Mary's Place against the Lizard. I recruited all of you to move here to Key West to save the universe. What more can I say to convince you?"

Not blinking or lowering the gun, Jake looked thoughtful for a moment. As he was doing this, I noticed Erin and Zoey examining Ashley. "Nikky once told me," Jake finally said, "that he caused one of the greatest disasters ever known. What was it and how did he manage it?"

A sad light came to the older man's eyes. "You are referring to the test firing of Wardenclyffe, which resulted in the Tunguska incident."

This statement was enough for me, and apparently for Jake, because he finally lowered the gun back to its place under the bar. "Sorry, Nikky, but those claws and fangs of your startled me."

Nikky nodded his head. "And I will explain everything to you in due time. However, might I trouble you for the use of a phone? There is an urgent call I must place."


	6. Helen

**Helen:**

It never fails to amaze me how the human mind constantly finds new ways to mark time. Six weeks ago, I thought in terms of Ashley's disappearance. In my mind, it would not be long before I could stop thinking like that and go to _One day since she came home… Two days since she came home…_

But it didn't happen that way. Two weeks ago, I was thinking _One hour since she attempted to teleport out of the Sanctuary_. Then, one week ago, I began to mark time thus: _One day since the memorial service… Two…_

It was now one week since the memorial, and life moved on at the Sanctuary. Henry continued to revamp our security systems in the wake of the attack, with Kate "helping" him. Meanwhile, Will worked with Declan to situate our newest residents. I supervised as best I could, but really spent the majority of my time shut in my office, staring out the window, caught up in memories. How to go on when it felt as if my heart had been ripped out?

I heard from John once or twice, but the messages were curt, telling me that his dismantling of the Cabal continued, but that he'd had no luck finding Dana Whitcomb yet. Part of me wished that he would stop this madness and come home, but another part of me understood that this was his way of coping with the tragedy.

Surprisingly, I missed Nikola, too. Arrogant ass, yes, but also one of my oldest friends. I was immensely grateful for his help in creating the cure for the Lazarus virus, and I could understand how he might feel useless now that that work was done. But I still wished he had stayed.

A knock on the door interrupted my thoughts. "Come!" I beckoned the visitor.

"Magnus," Will greeted me as he pushed open the door and entered. "Can you look over this list of room assignments?"

I sighed. "Will, don't you think you can do this on your own?"

Will's response was cut off by the ringing of my cell phone. I lifted the device from my desk, my brow furrowed in puzzlement at the unfamiliar number. Holding up a hand for Will to wait, I picked up the call. "Hello?"

_"You need to come to Key West immediately."_

"Nikola?" I checked, although I was reasonably certain that it was the vampire. "What's wrong? Why do I need to come to Key West?"

_"Ashley's here." _His next words were indistinct; I couldn't tell if he was talking to me or someone else because I was too busy processing what he had said. _Ashley's here._ She was alive. My daughter was alive!

"Magnus?" Will's voice snapped me out of my trance. I looked at him, remembering two weeks ago and how he'd tempered my hope that Ashley had found some way of avoiding the EM shield. Pushing the thought out of my mind, I quickly turned on the speaker of my phone.

_"Helen?"_ Nikola's tone suggested that he'd been trying to get my attention for some time.

"I'm here, Nikola," I informed him. "You had better not be trying to trick me."

_"I would not joke about this. Ashley is here."_ Will sat down abruptly in the chair across from me. _"You need to come right away,"_ Nikola repeated. _"In fact, if you have the werewolf drop the EM shield, I'll pick you up in the main laboratory."_

Will and I traded skeptical glances. "Um, Nikola," my protégée spoke up, "the last time I checked, you can't teleport."

A low chuckle emanated from the speaker. _"Come now, young Zimmerman, you don't expect me to have told you everything, do you? Helen,"_ he continued, _"you must get here as quickly as possible. Let me come get you."_

"We'll see you in ten minutes," I replied. Shutting off the phone, I used my radio to call Henry, telling him to shut off the EM shield around the main lab. Once that was done, I rose from my chair and started for the door of the office. Then I stopped and turned back to the young man who was still seated in front of my desk. "Are you coming?" I asked.

He was silent for a moment. "I'm sorry," he finally said.

I understood instantly what he meant, and knew that he meant it. After all, by questioning my judgment during that horrible week he'd made sure that I hadn't lost sight of the rest of my friends. My family. "Apology accepted." I smiled as he turned around, disbelief etched on his face. "Shall we?" I motioned towards the hall, and was glad when he rose and followed.

* * *

**Author's Note:** Sanctuary at last! This will likely wrap up within 3-5 chapters. Thanks for reading!


	7. Will

**Will:**

In the month and a half since Ashley had disappeared, I'd seen Magnus go through quite a few personalities. Initially, she wasn't much different, just extremely driven and focused on finding her daughter. Henry and I wound up taking care of the more mundane, daily tasks during this time, such as getting new residents settled, and fielding calls from our contacts.

After the battle in the main lab, Helen retreated into her office, trying to find proof for her theory that Ashley had somehow survived. In many ways, the desperate hope that possessed her at this point made it even worse than after I finally convinced her to hold the memorial service. Even after that, though, she was still withdrawn. In yet another attempt to draw her out, I took the latest batch of room assignments to her office.

Unsurprisingly, the door was shut. I knocked, and quickly heard Magnus call for me to "Come!"

"Magnus," I greeted her, trying not to let my frustrations show in my voice. "Can you look over this list of room assignments?"

She sighed. "Will, don't you think you can do this on your own?"

I opened my mouth to reply, but the ringing of her cell phone cut me off. She picked it up, furrowing her brow at something on the screen. "Hello?" she answered, holding up a hand for me to wait. A look of confusion crossed her face. "Nikola?" she asked into the phone. "What's wrong? Why do I need to come to Key West?"

_Key West?_ I thought to myself. What was the vampire doing in a place with that much sun? Then I noticed Magnus's glazed stare. "Magnus?" I asked, concerned.

She looked at me for a second before turning the phone's speaker on. _"Helen?"_ Tesla's voice sounded insistent.

"I'm here, Nikola," she informed him. "You had better not be trying to trick me."

I almost asked her what she meant, but Tesla's voice cut me off. _"I would not joke about this. Ashley is here."_ I felt my legs go weak, and sat down abruptly in the chair in front of me. _"You need to come right away,"_ the scientist repeated. _"In fact, if you have the werewolf drop the EM shield, I'll pick you up in the main laboratory."_

I traded a skeptical glance with Magnus. "Um, Nikola," I spoke up, "the last time I checked, you can't teleport."

A low chuckle emanated from the speaker. _"Come now, young Zimmerman, you don't expect me to have told you everything, do you? Helen,"_ he continued, _"you must get here as quickly as possible. Let me come get you."_

To my surprise, she responded, "We'll see you in ten minutes." I could only sit there in a daze as she radioed Henry and rose from her chair. She must've been halfway there before I heard her footsteps cease. "Are you coming?" she asked.

I was silent for a moment, trying to find the right words. "I'm sorry," I finally said. After all, hadn't I been the one to keep her from searching harder?

"Apology accepted." I turned around, disbelieving. How could she forgive me so quickly? "Shall we?" she motioned towards the hall.

It was a silent walk to the elevator. Once we were inside, I couldn't keep quiet any longer. "Magnus? Did Tesla say what kind of shape Ashley's in?"

"I don't recall. I stopped listening when he said that she was alive," she admitted, not looking at me. I had to smile; the doctor in her was likely berating the mother for not getting all of the facts. "But I think that if she were injured he'd bring her to us, not insist that we go to them."

I couldn't fault her logic, but still wondered at how truthful Tesla was being. After all, he'd once informed Magnus that the Cabal was attacking her, when in fact they'd been after him. I shook my head against that train of thought, and returned to the fact that Ashley was alive. How had she survived? I'm pretty sure that she thought that that last jump of hers would lead to her death. Had Magnus's theory been right? Had she somehow managed to jump at the exact moment the shield was down?

My head kept buzzing with questions as the elevator halted and we headed into the main rotunda. "Shield's down Doc!" Henry's voice broke into my musings. "What's going on?"

It hit me that Magnus hadn't told Henry what was happening. The fact that he had still lowered the shield, even without facts, spoke to his loyalty to the doctor. Before she could respond, there was an incredible noise accompanied by a brief flash of light. When I could see again, I discovered one Nikola Tesla, standing in front of me and looking a little worse for the wear.

"What happened?" Magnus demanded.

"Your daughter didn't recognize me."

"And I was going to guess that she had," I quipped, earning a patented death glare from the vampire. I shrugged a semi-apology.

"Shall we?" Tesla reached out and grabbed both Magnus and I by our arms. There was a moment of supreme discomfort, like I was being squeezed into a box about a dozen sizes too small, and then I was blinking in the bright sunlight of what could only be Key West.

Even once my eyes had adjusted to the sun, I kept blinking, trying to make sure what I was seeing was real. We were standing in what was obviously an open-air bar: the bar itself was just ahead and to the right. Gathered around it were quite an odd assortment of individuals, including a man who could not have been shorter than six-two, a woman who looked to be close to Magnus's apparent age with red hair, a younger woman around my own age, a man who was quite obviously the bartender, and "Ashley!"

* * *

**Author's Note: **Look for another chapter before Sunday night.


	8. Jake

**Jake:**

I admit it: when Ashley and Nikky fought, all I could do was stand behind the bar and gape like a fish. I mean, over the years I've seen and done some pretty incredible things. I've set off a pony nuke at arm's length to kill an evil cockroach. I've gotten not one but two alien cyborgs drunk so that they didn't destroy the Earth. And I've hung out with several time-travelers. But seeing the greatest scientist of the twentieth century sprout claws and fangs and start fighting with a woman, both of them teleporting, outdid even the cluricaune that had resided in my bar for a year.

By the time I'd recovered my senses and started thinking of ways to break it up, Drink and Marty were standing at the bar, apparently trying to do the same. The three of us were thwarted in our attempts, however, by the fact that Ashley was…teleporting all over the place, and Nikky was keeping up with her. I was amazed, concerned, and a little grateful when the scientist finally managed to catch and subdue the young woman, but didn't think twice about pulling my sawn-off from behind the bar and leveling it at his chest. "Jake--" Drink started, but I cut him off.

"Who are you and what have you done with Nikola Tesla?" I demanded of the once-more normal-looking man standing in front of me.

Nikky closed his eyes, dropped his head, sighed, and muttered something in his native tongue. "I assure you, Jacob," he stated, raising his head, "I am Tesla. I helped you defend Mary's Place against the Lizard. I recruited all of you to move here to Key West to save the universe. What more can I say to convince you?"

My eyes were watering from not blinking, and I refused to lower the gun, but I dutifully dug through my memories for an appropriate anecdote. It took a couple of moments, but then I had it. "Nikky once told me that he caused one of the greatest disasters ever known. What was it and how did he manage it?"

A sad light came to the older man's eyes. "You are referring to the test firing of Wardenclyffe, which resulted in the Tunguska incident."

Finally, I lowered the gun back to its place under the bar. "Sorry, Nikky, but those claws and fangs of your startled me."

Nikky nodded his head. "And I will explain everything to you in due time. However, might I trouble you for the use of a phone? There is an urgent call I must place."

Even with the questions buzzing in my head, but now assured of his identity, I passed over the phone. I watched as he carefully dialed an out-of-area number and waited patiently as it rang. "You need to come to Key West immediately," he stated without preamble when the person on the other end picked up. The volume was loud enough that I could make out the sounds of a woman's voice, but years of playing in front of loud amps has damaged my hearing. She must have asked why, because his next words were "Ashley's here. She doesn't seem to remember who I am; just that she's supposed to fight me. She has a few bruises and cuts but is otherwise unharmed…" he trailed off. "Helen?"

The mysterious Helen was apparently not listening, as he said her name again. "Helen?" He paused as the sound of her voice once again emanated from the speaker. "I would not joke about this. Ashley is here." So he'd lied to her in the past, had he? "You need to come right away. In fact, if you have the werewolf drop the EM shield, I'll pick you up in the main laboratory."

Main laboratory? EM shield? _Werewolf?_

Another voice, fainter than the first, sounded from the speaker. Nikky must've thought that the individual said something funny, because he chuckled. "Come now, young Zimmerman, you don't expect me to have told you everything, do you? Helen, you must get here as quickly as possible. Let me come get you."

She obviously acquiesced, because not a moment later Nikky was handing the phone back to me. "I'll explain everything when I get back, Jacob." With that, he disappeared into thin air.

Being used to the strange comings and goings of my friends and family, this didn't bother me in the slightest. Also, I was slightly occupied by Erin and Zoe helping a now-conscious Ashley into one of the high chairs in front of the bar. Regardless, it was only a couple of minutes before Nikky reappeared in front of us flanked by two others. On his right was a striking woman around Zoey's age; her blue eyes zeroed in on Ashley and she began making her way over. The young man on Nikky's left, on the other hand, kept blinking as he examined his surroundings, obviously not sure what to make of the Place or its inhabitants. Then he spotted where his companion had headed. "Ashley!" he exclaimed, jogging over.

Ashley, however, was riveted by the woman who stood before her. The two of them stood, simply looking at one another for several moments. "Ashley?" the older woman asked in a British accent. "Do you know who I am?"

Ashley worked her mouth, but it was several minutes before any sound came out. "M-mom?" she asked, hesitantly. Rather than reply, the other woman simply closed the remaining distance and pulled Ashley into a hug. The young man who had also arrived with Nikola waited until the two women had broken apart before stepping forward. "Will," Ashley greeted him, sounding surer of herself. She let him also enfold her in a hug.

As this was going on, I noticed Nikky stepping forward cautiously. Given how Ashley had attacked him last time, I couldn't blame him in the slightest. "Jacob," he greeted me. His voice caught the attention of the woman he'd brought, and he motioned her over. "Jacob, I'd like you to meet one of my oldest friends, Dr. Helen Magnus. Helen, this is Jacob Stonebender."

"Doctor," I greeted her, extending my hand.

"Please call me Helen," she replied, taking it in her own. She motioned to the young man who had accompanied her. "This is my associate, Dr. Zimmerman."

"Will," the man introduced himself. He pulled away from Ashley and offered his hand. "Nice to meet you, Mr. Stonebender."

"Jake," I corrected him. "This is my wife, Zoey, my daughter, Erin, and my friends, Long-Drink and Marty. And you apparently already know Nikky…" I saw Helen's eyes harden as she turned to the scientist, so I quickly continued, "who's already promised to explain himself." I motioned for Tom Hauptman to take over and stepped out from behind the bar to lead the small group to a secluded conversation area behind the fireplace. Zoey and I sat side by side on a lounge chair, as did Helen and Ashley. Will seemed content to stand between and behind the two women, although there was a small stool nearby. Erin opted to sit on the grass by my feet, and Nikky took the remaining chair. At this point, I realized that Drink and Marty had not joined us, and sent a silent 'thank you' their way; Nikky had to hate this enough without more people knowing about it.

The silence lasted for a couple of minutes before Nikky finally spoke. "I guess you're all wondering why I never told you about each other."


	9. Nikola again

**Author's Note: **Sorry for the delay in posting; RL's been kinda hectic. Also, this chapter took more effort as I had to reconcile two different backstories for Tesla. I hope the result is as good as I think it is. Thanks for reading!

* * *

Nikola:

I watched carefully as my two sets of friends chose seats in the conversation area. So far, they seemed to get along, but after only introductions I wasn't prepared to take it for granted that the rest of this meeting would be the same. While Jake and his family _might_ take things in stride, I wasn't so sure about Helen and Co.

Several minutes after everyone had taken a seat (except for Zimmerman, who chose to stand behind Helen and Ashley), I finally spoke. "I guess you're all wondering why I never told you about each other."

"A little," Zoey said. The others all indicated agreement in some form or another.

"Let me start at the beginning. As you are all aware, I was born on the tenth of July, 1856, in Smiljan, Croatia. In the 1870s, I attended classes at Oxford University, during which time I met Helen, John Druitt, Nigel Griffin, and James Watson. We called ourselves the Five, and spent our time outside of classes pushing the boundaries of science. Because of her father's work, Helen managed to obtain a sample of pure vampire blood."

"What's so special about that?" Erin asked. "I mean, we all know Pyotr."

"Who?" Zimmerman asked.

"Our own resident vampire," Jake replied. "He's also our walking hangover cure."

"I doubt that very much," Helen responded. "The last pure vampires were sterilized by the Church just prior to the Dark Ages."

"I believe that Pyotr, like me, had pure vampire blood injected into him at some point," I interjected. "As I was saying, each of the Five received a dose of the substance, and it affected each of us in different ways. Helen, for example, became extremely long-lived. I, on the other hand, gained the powers of my ancestors."

"Wait a minute," Jake interrupted. "You're saying that some of your ancestors were _vampires_." It wasn't a question, just a statement to be sure he'd heard me correctly.

I nodded. "I soon discovered that, among other things, I could now both create and tolerate large amounts of electricity. Oh, and when I was particularly stressed I had a tendency to sprout claws and fangs. Thankfully, Helen, medical genius that she is, created a medication that tampered this second effect. So, I continued on mostly as before, inventing and perfecting things designed to make humanity's existence better. In 1940, not long after she opened her House, I met Lady Sally McGee. She revealed to me her true nature, as a time traveler and a policewoman of sorts. Her superiors believed that it was to humanity's advantage that I stick around for more than the eighty-seven years the history books said I had. She also informed me that, due to other sources, she was well aware of what I had done in Oxford and its subsequent effects on my physiology. She offered her help, should I ever need to disappear.

"Then, prior to the end of World War II, I made the mistake of offering plans for my Death Ray to operatives of the involved governments, hoping that they'd stop fighting one another when they realized the destructive capabilities of it. The plan backfired: When each discovered that the others had received the same offer, they all sent operatives after me. Helen managed to distract them with a false trail while I, unknown to her, contacted Lady Sally for assistance. Her Ladyship planted the appropriate evidence so that Helen's tip to the police was convincing, then provided a convenient hiding place."

"That's why they found you in your apartment!" Helen exclaimed.

"Indeed," I replied. "Her Ladyship placed a clone, appropriately aged, in the living room of my New York home. I hid in the Lady's House for several months, during which she taught me the arts of Transition and Translation. Transition," I explained to Helen, Ashley, and Zimmerman, "is very similar to the teleportation that John and Ashley use, while Translation allows me to move through time as well as space."

"Eventually, I left Her Ladyship's care and proceeded to travel the world. Routinely, I would make time to stop in at both the Lady's House and the bar owned by her husband, Michael Callahan. I found that the people in these places became a new family for me, especially as they were accepting of anyone, no matter how odd the person in question seemed to be.

"During the course of my travels in both space and time—oh yes, I did take full advantage of the skills Lady Sally taught me—I formed a plan to resurrect my ancestors, as the vampires had given much to the world in the past. Perhaps," I held up a hand to forestall Helen's protest, "they did enslave humans, but look at what happened once they were wiped out. The Dark Ages began, and it took humans centuries to even begin to achieve what they'd accomplished under the vampires.

"I also spent time helping Michael and Lady Sally in their job as local time-police. In fact, in 1988 I assisted the patrons of Mary's Place, successor to Callahan's, in once again defending the world from alien invasion. Several years later, I prompted them to move here, to Key West, to save the universe.

"But even with all of this, I still focused on my idea of resurrecting the vampiric race. In the course of my work, however, I managed to anger a group of individuals known as the Cabal. After they'd been chasing me for several days, I managed to contact Helen for protection."

"You tricked me!" Helen interjected. "And then tried to kill me with the first of your new vampires."

"Yes, but Druitt saved you, so I don't see that you have too much to complain about. Anyway, several months after our reunion, we had to work together, along with Druitt, Watson, and Griffin's granddaughter, to find what was left of the source blood and use it to create a treatment for the Lazarus virus. This illness was released by the Cabal and affected all Abnormals-"

"Nikky? What's an Abnormal?" Jake interrupted.

"Any being that isn't entirely human," Helen responded. "Or humans with extraordinary abilities."

"Sounds like most of our family would fit that category," Erin piped up, and I couldn't help but agree.

"As we worked on the treatment," I continued my story, "Helen's daughter Ashley," I nodded at the young woman, "was captured by the Cabal and turned into a sleeper agent. As such, she took orders from them and led several other Abnormals with similar abilities in an attack on the Sanctuary. During this incursion, Ashley managed to fight the brainwashing and teleported away, trailing another of the Abnormals with her. This should have killed her."

"Why?" Erin asked.

"The form of teleportation that John and Ashley use," Helen jumped in, "cannot penetrate an electromagnetic field. As such, there is one activated around the Sanctuary as part of the defensive measures. This shield was active during that battle."

"Then how did Ashley wind up here?" Zoey inquired.

"The shield was fluctuating," Zimmerman explained. "She managed to teleport at the exact instant that it was down."

"Sounds like something Uncle Duck would have managed," Erin noted.

"Uncle _Duck_?" Zimmerman asked, confused.

"Ernie Shea, a half-pooka, half-Fir Darrig, usually known as the Lucky Duck," Jake explained. Helen looked mildly astonished at the named combination, while Zimmerman just looked incredulous. "And yeah, teleporting out at the exact right time sounds like something he would manage," Jake continued. Then he snorted a laugh. "Come to think of it, maybe he had something to do with Ashley showing up here."

"He's done weirder," Zoey acknowledged.

I kept silent, glad that the others' focus had been redirected from me. Of course, it was too good to last. "Nikola," Helen turned back to me now. "How did you know that Ashley was here?"

"I didn't," I answered honestly. "That night I left the Sanctuary, I Translated ahead in time one week. I…" I smiled at my unaccustomed fumbling with language. "I just wanted to get away from everything. I figured that one week and two thousand miles were enough distance. Besides, while I had not seen my friends here in seventeen years, I doubted that they had changed so much as to not be able to help me feel better."

"No offense, Uncle Nikky," Erin spoke up, "but how can we help you if you don't tell us what's going on?"

My smile widened. "By simply letting me reconnect with no questions asked. I merely needed to redirect my attentions for a little, and I knew that your family would allow me to do so."

Helen was shaking her head at me, but she was smiling, too. "I can't say I'm surprised, Nikola. But I am grateful to you for contacting us when you found out Ashley was here."

Ashley blushed a little at that statement. "Yeah Mom, about that-"

"Don't worry," I told the girl, "I forgive you."

"Besides," Helen turned towards her daughter, "it sounds like you only gave Nikola what he deserved." I could see the slight smile playing at her lips, but chose to ignore it. Inwardly, though, I was thrilled to see her return to her old self.

"Well," Jake clapped his hands and rose from his seat, "you're welcome to stick around for a little bit. Ashley's already part of the family, and we'd love for you to join us, too."

Helen rose smoothly. "We'd be happy to accept." With that, she slid her arm around Ashley's waist and followed Jake back to the main bar area.


	10. Ashley

**Author's Note: **And so we come to the end of this tale. Thanks to all of my faithful readers and reviewers for joining me on this ride.

* * *

Ashley:

It was later in the afternoon. Several hours had passed since Nikola had spilled his guts in that confession, and we'd rejoined the rest of the gang around the compound. I was enjoying visiting with my friends, as well as watching Mom and Will get acquainted with everyone. Mom being Mom, she'd soon produced a notebook and began taking notes on most of the denizens of the Place. I just smiled when I noticed this and went back to my conversation with Long Drink.

Eventually, I noticed that Mom was seated at the bar, talking with both Jake and Erin. Excusing myself from the conversation between Will and Ralph (trust me, watching Will talk to a German shepherd was highly entertaining), I made my way over to the trio.

"Ashley," Jake greeted me.

"What's going on?" I asked, sliding my arm around Mom's shoulders.

"I'm coming to work at the Sanctuary," Erin told me, grinning.

"Really?" I looked to Mom for confirmation.

She nodded. "Erin has expressed an interest in learning more about other Abnormals, and Jake has agreed."

"What about Zoey?" I asked.

"She's fine with it," Jake assured me.

"I have to go pack," Erin told me. "Want to help?"

I agreed to do so. It was the work of only about fifteen minutes for her to pack two duffels of clothing, plus her backpack with her laptop and other electronics. By the time we made it back to the bar, Mom, Will, and Nikola were gathered there. "I've called Henry and he's lowered the EM shield around the main lab," Mom informed me. "Nikola will take Will and I on ahead; I assume you can bring yourself and Erin once you've said your good-byes."

I nodded that I could, and watched as Mom and the others disappeared. Once they were gone, Erin and I turned to our friends, saying our good-byes. I left Jake for last. "I'm glad you found your family," he told me, pulling me into a hug.

"Thanks for the help," I responded. I stepped away and grabbed one of the duffels. "Hold onto my arm," I told Erin. "See you around," I told the gang, waving.

With that, I turned into the darkness again. This time, when it ended, I found myself back in the main lab of the Sanctuary, facing Mom, Will, Nikola, and Henry. I couldn't stop the grin that spread across my face: I was home.


End file.
